Anybody using their ITouch exclusively for books ?

[JeremyZ]

Originally Posted by vonCZ

I was recharging the batteries in my LED lamp once--sometimes twice--a week before I got my iPad... 'cause I'd often fall asleep while reading and leave the light on most of the night. But the iStuff performs beautifully here: fall asleep, and your equipment soon follows.

That's true. I always catch myself when I'm getting so tired that I'm not fully comprehending what I'm reading.

Your troubles staying awake doesn't have anything to do with the beer situation you have out there, does it? I was amazed when I visited Prague earlier this year that (in the city at least) water or tea costs as much as beer. No reason to drink that other stuff.

[Maggie Leung]

I just bought a Touch for books and music. I already have iPhone and iPad, but I wanted the flexibility to read without worry about draining my phone battery when without iPad or when iPad is too big. My Kindle won't substitute, either, because it's big enough to knock out of my hand easily on a packed subway, for instance. I'm taking subways in Asia, and am getting closer to strangers than I have some friends, lol. The Retina screen makes Touch more reading-friendly to me than on my old 3G iPhone.

[Rob_E]

I had wanted an e-reader for a while. There's an iPad in my near future, but for the past couple of years I've been reading almost exclusively on my 1st Gen. iPod Touch. It may not be as good as a dedicated e-reader for the singular function of reading, but a) it does so much more than just serve as an e-reader, and b) it fits in my pocket easier than any e-reader, so if I find myself unexpectedly with time on my hands, there's always a book (or 20) in my pocket. The portability in particular makes it my most likely reading solution, to the point where I don't know when I last read a paper book. And the last two print books I started, I then gave up on and bought the digital versions. The other way I've been consuming a lot of books is in audio form, and the iPod excels at that as well.

So, I think the answer to the question I think you meant to ask is, "Yes, I read almost exclusively on the iPod Touch." But the answer to your actual question is, "No, I use my iPod Touch for a lot more than just reading."

[Fif23]

Thanks ! Overall positive reviews here !
Now I just have to decide if I want to ditch my 4.5" HTC HD2 as well for an iphone, or keep it and get an iPod.

The huge screen on my Windows Mobile 6 HTC is amazing, and some say it even looks better than the iphon'es, but ALL of the ebook reading apps for Win Mobile are pure trash,.

So my options are:

1. Keep HD2, Get IPOD (250~USD)
2. Keep HD2, Get Sony PRS 350 (150~ USD)
3. Sell HD2, Buy iPhone 4 (Probably adding around 200 dollars)
4. Sell HD2, buy Sony 350 + 3G Nokia (No money spent)


Which option would you choose ?

[tubemonkey]

Get a 4.3" Android phone - HTC Evo or Moto Droid X.

[Fif23]

Is there anything comparable to the Iphone's "Stanza" app in Android ?

[JeremyZ]

I'd keep your phone and get the iPod Touch. If you can manage it, dig deep and get the 64 GB version.

I have a couple of friends who had iPhones; they wound up getting them because of the poor phone service. At least, I think it is phone service. AT&T blamed the device, but they had the phones checked out and Apple blames AT&T. To me, it seems to be AT&Ts probably. Stick with a phone that actually works as a phone. Something that won't drain the battery quickly, and have the iPod Touch for fun.

Another standpoint is that if you have an iPod Touch, you don't need all that other garbage in the expensive phones. I'm thinking of downgrading my phone to a smaller and lighter one, and my phone is already pretty basic. (LG Rumor II)

As far as the screen, it is very hard for me to believe that anyone can top Apple's Retina screen. I literally cannot see any pixels, no matter how closely I look. It really is beautiful.

Originally Posted by Silencer23

Thanks ! Overall positive reviews here !
Now I just have to decide if I want to ditch my 4.5" HTC HD2 as well for an iphone, or keep it and get an iPod.

The huge screen on my Windows Mobile 6 HTC is amazing, and some say it even looks better than the iphon'es, but ALL of the ebook reading apps for Win Mobile are pure trash,.

So my options are:

1. Keep HD2, Get IPOD (250~USD)
2. Keep HD2, Get Sony PRS 350 (150~ USD)
3. Sell HD2, Buy iPhone 4 (Probably adding around 200 dollars)
4. Sell HD2, buy Sony 350 + 3G Nokia (No money spent)


Which option would you choose ?

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by JeremyZ

As far as the screen, it is very hard for me to believe that anyone can top Apple's Retina screen. I literally cannot see any pixels, no matter how closely I look. It really is beautiful.

For me, it's still to small to read books on.

As to 960x640 vs 800x480, it matters not to me. They both look great, so I wouldn't care which one I had.

[Maggie Leung]

How much battery life are you all getting if you use your Touch mostly to read? I just got mine and dunno yet. I plan to read and listen to music on it, nothing else.

[JeremyZ]

I bet there aren't many people who only use it for two things, Maggie.

If you set the reader for black background, white text, I bet it triples the battery life while reading. (referring to the Kindle app; not sure if the others have this option)

Don't rule out other apps. Even if you're not into games, there are some very useful apps. Ones I've found that I really like are:

• Amazon.com
• 5-0 Radio Pro (acts like a frequency scanner when you have WiFi, can monitor police radio)
• facebook
• Scanner (UPC barcode scanner, to check all local prices before buying items)
• myLite (Turns on the display to use as a flashlight to get around in the dark)
• Bostich Stanley Level (bubble level simulator, good for hanging pictures and such)
• Unit (unit converter; includes currency, length, volume, speed, etc.)
• Sleep Tracker (Tracks sleep cycles using accelerometer; wakes me up when I'm in light sleep instead of deep, which gives me more energy for the day. There is an Asian program that does this too, which is even higher rated [solid 5 stars] but I don't read Chinese, so I can't use it.)

[Maggie Leung]

Thanks, Jeremy. I've got lots of news and utility apps, just not planning to use 'em on my Touch.

[Logseman]

When my brother gave me the iTouch1G as a gift I was really thrilled about reading in it. I still keep the Amazon and the Stanza apps in it. However, with time, I found the screen just too small and straining for long reading sessions so I started looking for an ereader and I signed up in this forum. The rest is history

However, for short reads like RSS news feeds and the like, the iTouch is just perfect, for its interface works rapidly and makes you lose no time. I'd like an iPhone, but it'd impede me to have a Pocketbook for Christmas.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by voodoo_pepperweb

I read whole books on my 1st generation iphone and I love it. I prefer it to my Sony PRS-300. The iphone is always with me, I can read it in the dark, it has a touch sceen, dictionary, and search feature.

However, I don't like reading PDFs on it and that's the one case where the Sony wins. I spent some time trying to get Calibre to convert the PDFs, but got poor results and gave up. I don't need to do anything in Calibre to format epubs and ereader files for the iphone.

I've read tons of eBooks on my first generation iPhone as well.
But I've found at least a 2nd argument against it: On my train ride of 4.5 hours to my employer's headquarters, battery always went dry. On any ePaper unit, I easily can do both ways on a single charge.
And, although I don't have any real problems with the smaller displays, I prefer the screen estate of 5" or even bigger units.
So I do, what many have discovered: I read Kindle books on my Kindles when at home. On the road, it depends on my luggage and the duration of the trip. Sometimes, iPhone4 is my only travel companion...

[JeremyZ]

Originally Posted by mgmueller

But I've found at least a 2nd argument against it: On my train ride of 4.5 hours to my employer's headquarters, battery always went dry. On any ePaper unit, I easily can do both ways on a single charge.

This is a valid downside to the Apple devices. Since they're LCDs, they're power hogs. (relatively speaking) I can only actively use my Touch for maybe 4-5 hours before it needs a charge. (music is different, since the display is not always on) A tip to get better battery life when using it for reading is to set the display scheme for black background, white text. It cuts the power consumption way down.

How do you deal with this? What I do is just have the cord with me, and I bought a car charger for the car. It has worked so far, but for any trans-atlantic flights I'll surely bring my Kindle.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by JeremyZ

This is a valid downside to the Apple devices. Since they're LCDs, they're power hogs. (relatively speaking) I can only actively use my Touch for maybe 4-5 hours before it needs a charge. (music is different, since the display is not always on) A tip to get better battery life when using it for reading is to set the display scheme for black background, white text. It cuts the power consumption way down.

How do you deal with this? What I do is just have the cord with me, and I bought a car charger for the car. It has worked so far, but for any trans-atlantic flights I'll surely bring my Kindle.

I'd like more juice, too. I carry a portable backup battery for iPhone/iPod. I also just bought a Touch for books and music. That way, I can read and listen without worrying about using up the juice on my phone. (iPhone doesn't offer enough storage for my music anyway. Audio books take alotta storage, and I have thousands of albums.)

On flights, iPad battery life is OK for me. I tend to sleep as much as possible on long hauls, so battery life isn't a problem.